another way. >> what happened to the doll? >> it was destroyed. but out of that, a new holiday was born. a festivus for the rest of us. >> that's right. you could see our folks had that festivus pole right now. we're wrapping up the show from here. everybody have a great holiday. happy 2012. "cnn newsroom" with kyra phillips starts right now. >> thanks, guys. have a great holiday weekend. this morning we're beginning on capitol hill and a new countdown for the payroll tax cut. well, lawmakers are now within reach of an extension. within the next hour or so, both the house and senate are expected to pass the deal after republicans caved to blistering public criticism. kate bolduan on the hill. kate, is it a done deal? >> well, we'd love to say, yes, absolutely, 100% a done deal. i would say that i caution that we never take anything for granted up here with congress, especially this year, right,

kyra? but in the next half an hour, we should see the senate come into session and this deal could pass within maybe one or two minutes. it could be that short as both the senate and the house are expected to pass this legislation. this payroll tax extension deal using a procedural move that basically allows them to pass legislation without having to call all of the members back into town. so, according to both democratic and republican leadership aides on the senate side, they do expect that things are moving towards a passage on the senate side and then, of course, all eyes turn to the house where the house expected to follow up with a vote and at the top of the next hour and, according to a house republican leadership aide, leaders do expect that this bill will go through, which means that both the house and senate both chambers of congress will have passed this two-month exteng, but, again, we caution with this procedure it only requires one member to stand up in the chamber and object to

stall this. we'll watch this very closely, kyra. >> it's going to be happening within this hour, probably the top of next hour, like you said. we'll check back with you. let's go ahead and break down this deal with our chief political correspondent candy crowley. shall we? candy, great to see you on this friday. >> i know. why are we working? how did this happen? >> because, you know, this is how it goes in our business, right? just like those on the hill, they're going to have to work something out. we're going to have to work, as well, work our way through this. what did you think, did boehner cause or avoid more damage here, candy? >> yes. you know. i think both. but it really wasn't, i think it's wrong to blame boehner, the republicans made a huge tactical error. a huge politically tactical error. they kept saying we were right on the policy, but certainly wrong on the politics and we are, after all, in a political

eve year. and, so, boehner just simply didn't have the votes from his caucus to pass what the senate passed. which is why he originally said, no, we're not going to pass this thing because it's going to be hard for small businesses, et cetera, et cetera. he tried to negotiate with the president and said send some people up to negotiate with us and the president said, nope. this is the deal. he tried to get to negotiate with the senate democrats. nope, this is the deal. in the end, it was that. the senate republican leader mitch mcconnell said, hey, pass this thing. they lost their senate colleagues and then their constituents got into it and said, what are you doing here? john boehner didn't wake up one morning and said, i think i'll hold this up for a small business, you know, procedural tweak. it was, he was trying to satisfy enough people in his caucus to get the thing passed. so, in the end, he did what he could. >> it's an election year, as you mentioned. we know tensions are high.

boehner caves. does this actually show us how fractured the republican party really is? >> certainly shows us how difficult they are to herd for john boehner. that's for sure. we've known that all year because this is not the first time that the speaker has agreed to something and come back only to find that they weren't following him. so, this has definitely been a year of, look, these are largely freshman folks that have, it's the first time at the rodeo. they were elected by tea party types. they all, pretty much, we did a study a while back and a large percentage of them have, you know, jobs they can go back to. they're not career politicians for the most part. and, therefore, they don't have that same kind of let's win this one for boehner. they have held fast and they have won mostly. you know, the president has backed down, the democrats have backed down. so, this, this exposes it, the

bad side of it. because up until now boehner has had a pretty good year in backing down some of the stuff that made it hard for his tea party constituency to come along with him in that caucus. so, yes, it exposed his fracture, but it's been there all along. >> it's not the last money issue to be on the table, as well. as you know, candy is our anchor of "state of the union." who is on your program this sunday? >> we'll talk to richard luger, he's facing a tea party challenge back at home for ris re-election bid and he's also a very well known expert on foreign affairs. we want to talk to him about korean, et cetera, as well as the tea party. we're also going to have something, i'm going to promote here which is so much fun for us. we did this thing getting to know which we put on our website every week and it's kind of these little chats about the personal lives of some of the newsmakers that we interview. so, we've sort of taken a best of for this year and we're going

to show our tv viewers some of the stuff we had on the web. it's fun stuff. >> so, little church, little turkey, little presents and little candy crowley. sounds like the perfect christmas sunday. >> who could want for more than that? >> happy christmas with the grandbaby, too. great to see you, candy. >> thanks and you with your guys. >> amen. well, this morning a new glimpse into what american voters are thinking as the nation inches towards the 2012 elections and our latest cnn/orc poll we asked americans what the most important issue is facing this country. 57% said chose the economy from our list. the national deficit and health care came in a distant second and third. the poll then asked people to focus specifically on the economy and more than half chose unemployment and 27% said the deficit. well, believe it or not, just a couple weeks ago that newt gingrich had a double-digit lead in the gop polls. he's not only lost that, but maybe a bit of his bluster, as

well. political editor paul steinhauser joining us now. is newt lowering his expectations? what do you think? >> in this crazy political game sometimes beating expectations is actually better than winning a contest. if you lower expectations and then beat them, maybe that's a good thing. gingrich was the frontrunner out in iowa and those numbers are starting to come back to earth. we're just 11 days away from iowa and numbers there are slipping. take a listen to what he said yesterday on the campaign trail. >> we're coming together very fast in iowa and i expect we'll be very, very competitive. my goal is to be in the top three or four. it is very bunched right now. to be in the top three or four, probably to be the top two in new hampshire and then to win south carolina and florida and from that point on, i think it becomes pretty easy race. >> yeah, so, definitely lower expec tags in iowa, but maybe not that modest.

one or two in new hampshire and he thinks he will win south carolina and florida. stay tuned. >> three candidates not going to be on the ballot in another state contest. what happened? >> this is virginia. virginia holds their primary on march 6th. if michele bachmann, jon huntsman and rick santorum are still in it by then, they're not going to be on the ballot. you need 10,000 signatures. none of those threes got it. they're not going to be there on march 6th if they're still in the race, kyra. >> for all the latest political news, go to our website cnnpolitics.com. as you know, one of the busiest travel days of the entire year is today, tomorrow and also sunday. it's kind of like the busiest weekend, right, reynolds? >> absolutely. really, really busy times. some parts of the nation will get a let up, especially here in atlanta where it was raining horse shoes and hand grenades and today better in parts of atlanta and in parts of the northeast and out west, rain, snow and a lot of wind to deal

with. first and foremost, let's talk snow. first, we have the winter storm warnings that still remain in effect and farther north inial colorado, up to three feet of snow in some locations outside of boulder. that will leave parts of the mile high city and in albuquerque one to three inches of snow expected and in the higher elevations of the mountains close to a foot by the afternoon. anywhere from eight to ten inches of snowfall from about 7,500 feet up. the problem is along parts of i-40 and i-25 the strong winds could give you whiteout conditions at times. as we advance the map, could see backups along parts of the southeast, mainly into miami and back into orlando and houston could have some backups and four corners look a little bit better and we talk about the snow we have in new mexico and arizona looks nice and at that point we can expect scattered showers. wrap things up, your high for the day today in chicago, you can barely see it, 37 degrees. 48 new york and the biggest backups possibly new york due to

that storm system. that is the latest we got for you, back to you, kyra. >> thank you, reynolds. coming up, trapped in a car for nine days. find out how an arizona woman survived being snowed in for more than a week. also a deadly suicide bombing at security offices in damascus. we have a live report, next.ow b, you know, this is what you had been doing. you know, working, working, working, working, working, working. and now you're talking about, well you know, i won't be, and i get the chance to spend more time with my wife and my kids. it's my world. that's my world. ♪ my old contacts would sometimes move and blur my vision.

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all right. choking stories across country now. a cleeng student has been found safe after being trapped in her car for nine days. two u.s. forest service employees patrolling on snowmobiles found her wednesday. she survived on two candy bars and melted snow. and in orlando o, florida, seaworld's largest killer whale

is sick. the same whale that killed a seaworld trainer in february of last year. our affiliate says that park veterinarians have moved the whale to a medical pool to keep a close eye on him. in milwaukee, wisconsin, dozens of christmas trees are being given away for free. the company is trees on the move and it didn't want low-income families to miss out on the christmas spirit. it is taking donations for local charities, as well, in exchange for the trees. well, two suicide car bombs have exploded in the syrian capital of damascus. state-run media reporting that bombers targeted the offices of two security branches. our mohammed is live with the latest. what do you know? >> kyra, details still emerging as reported on syrian state television these bombings were carried out earlier today. members of an advance team of the arab league, these are team

members that came in to try to set the ground for an observatory mission that's coming in next week to try to end the violence in syria and that they've also witnessed the scene of the attack. no death toll and no casualty toll at this stage. syrian state television saying numerous people were injured and killed in these attacks. opposition figures in syria saying the regime is lying suggesting it's awfully convenient that these attacks come just one day after these members of the arab league have arrived and it really fits the narrative that the regime has been trying to say that they're fighting terrorism there and not trying to talk about the crackdown that's been going on against peaceful protesters. in the meantime, protests going on in several provinces and cities across syria. that's according to opposition protesters. protesters carrying signs mocking the protocol of blood, the protocol signed by the arab league and the syrian government for observers to go in and try

to halt the violence. the protesters and activists say they believe this is just a stalling tactic and that the president of syria does not plan to stop his brutal crackdown any time soon. kyra? >> we've been watching these protests for month now across the middle east and back to cairo where you are. you talked to that female activist that was brutally beaten in tahrir square. how did that interview go? >> kyra, it was quite shocking to see the state that she was in. when we first went to so her in the hospital when we tracked her down, she was in agony and too much pain to talk to us. the next day we went back and although she's still suffering from a lot of pain from these injuries she sustained to her head, she was willing to open up and tell us about her ordeal. today she is feeling better and despite the severe beating she sustained just days ago, she's eager to talk.

"there's no justice," she says. "i don't know how long we'll go without justice. we didn't ask for anything more than to be free in our own country. we've been oppressed by the military, by the supreme council and by the police." azza has reason to be angry. during a crackdown in cairo's tahrir's square the 48-year-old activist was rushed by riot police. seen here in a red jacket, azza was trying to help a wounded woman when she was pushed to the ground. then began the merciless barrage. she sustained multiple blows to the head, suffered two fractures to the skull. "i don't know how much longer they'll continue to kill us," she says. "how much longer will they continue to kill us?" she's not sure how long it will

take for her to recover but her condition today is visibly better than a day earlier. then she couldn't even talk to us. wailing in agony and crying for help. today, azza wonders what will happen to her homeland and even though her late father was a general in egypt army, she can't fathom the tactic security forces are currently using against protesters. "my family isn't like the men in the military now," she says. "my family was very decent and pure. what's happening in the military now is dirty. humans without conscious or mercy or humanity. what right do they have to do this to people?" despite the pain she endures and the uncertainty she feels, azza remains defiant. "i don't know what will happen tomorrow," she says. "i know we won't remain silent

and we won't abandon our rights. we won't leave this country in the devastated condition it's in." kyra, we contacted the military about azza's case and the colonel of the military's moral's department told cnn the egyptian military department is not aware of her case, but will look into it. if she reserved the right to be transferred to a military hospital, even if her father is deceased. now, separately, so much outrage, especially on the part of women rights activist about the mistreatment of women at the hands of the security forces here, there was a statement put out earlier in the week by the ruling military council it read "has since expressed great regret to the women of egypt for the violations that took place earlier over the mistreatment of women protesters and reiterated. that's not really holding a lot

of water with the egyptian women activists we've spoken with. in fact, if you look behind me, tahrir square today full of activists, many women rights activists and have come out to protest these beatings that have happened and the abuse suffered by so many women at the hands of riot police here in cairo. kyra? >> such an important story. had to stay with and mohammad, you're doing it. thanks so much. coming up, a sign of the times. churches around the country canceling their christmas day services. wait until you hear the reason. one pastor joins me live to explain. and later, the one and only charlie sheen. he is winning ways gave us plenty to talk about this year. we'll recap some of the most memorable celeb moments. [ indistinct talking on radio ]

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for millions of americans few routines as deeply rooted as going to church on sunday. this sunday their faith faces a new challenge, it's christmas day. christmas morning, no church. ron is the pastor of north metro church in atlanta suburb there in marietta and, rob, you know, we were looking at some of the places that are actually open on christmas day. family dollar stores, walgreen's, cvs, but a church closing on one of the holiest days. we're talking about jesus' birthd birthday, why? >> we did this back in 2005. we just saw and talked with a number of people that it would give them an opportunity just to be with their families and we

have so many volunteers who give so much week in and week out and we just saw what a good opportunity to just say, you know what, let's just do church at home. let's just spend more time with family and specifically in atlanta. it's fast paced and everyone is going, going and this is one day where we could say, you know, we're not, it's not that we're making much of god on this day, we're having three services on saturday and they're going to be usually very highly attended. on this day let's hit pause and just be with each other's families. >> as you can imagine as soon as the word got out. we found so many comments in response to the articles that came out in the papers. and i just want to get your response. a lot of people saying things like this. this came from steven rollins. truly sad to see the ignorance of my fellow believers. another comment from alan byrd. do you need a whole day to open presents?

are your church services so long that you can't open presents and attend church services? are we the lazy nation that can't do two things on the same day. another thought coming from a person on twitter. so sad to see that church goers know no better and what is worse, their pastors aren't teaching them correctly. remember the sabbath day and keep it holy. what do you say to folks that are pretty bothered that they can't come to church on this day? >> well, you know, i wouldn't say it's that they can't come to church just a number of churches that aren't open that day. we are having church, we're just not having it on that specific day. so, you know, i mean, here's one thing we know. we don't know to be right in this. i don't think this is an issue of being right and wrong, but we don't need to be right. and this, the leadership of the church. we feel as talking with our congregation specifically. last time we did this, very well received.

so many of our families travel or they just want more time together and what a great opportunity just to be the church. because sometimes, you know, i think people think that being the church or going is just simply going to church. i think there's -- >> final question, rob. then on sunday, how will you celebrate jesus' birth? >> well, my family has a tradition. my wife and girls we bake a lot of cookies and we go out to places where people do work gas stations, hotels and restaurants and bless them and give out cookies and give them cookies and tell them god loves them. >> that's the way jesus represented his life. giving back to others. interesting controversy needless to say. rob mcdowell, thanks for joining me this morning. >> thank you xhnchlthsi. coming up, holiday travel spots. coming up next. act my age?

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checking top stories the house is expected to pass a two-month extension of the payroll tax cut. speaker john boehner agreed to a plan to break the deadlock over the measure. disgraced politician john edwards wants to delay his conspiracy trial because of an unexpected medical issue. it was supposed to start january 30th. attorneys want 60 more days. new zealand is rocked by a series of powerful earthquakes near an area still recovering from a strong quake in february. two injuries reported. the airport in christschurch is still closed. jeopardizing holiday travel plans on the day before christmas eve. let's check in with holly firfer. holly, what's the deal this

morning? >> kyra, not too bad this morning. what a difference a day makes. the security lines are long, but they're moving. 10 to 20 minutes on average and it doesn't seem too busy, but yesterday totally different story. we had some severe weather that came through here, some thunderstorms that actually shut the airport down for about three hours. that affected 5,200 flights and some could not take off and some couldn't land. and it left a lot of people stranded at the airport overnight. we talked to a couple of those people early this morning. >> i'm supposed to be celebrating christmas with my family in two hours. >> my wife is driving over from tulsa to pick me up because the first two flights out this morning are both full they said. >> and i got to tell you, kyra, it's not just the people that were stuck at the airport overnight that were affected. you know, a lot of planes got diverted and people had to spend the night else where. this morning i saw a girl wearing this beautiful little black dress and the heels on and the makeup and it was about 5:35

this morning and i said, well, you look good. she said, my boyfriend was supposed to come in last night and he got diverted and now he's coming in this morning. she got all dolled up and came to get him this morning, kyra. >> i hope they're having a good time. holly firfer, we'll check in with you. good to see you, holly. a blue christmas for a lot of best buy customers. canceling online orders. alison kosik at the new york stock exchange. alison, what happened? >> a big oopsy is what happened. best buy ran out of some products, kyra. now, if you want to know if you are the one affected, it could be you if you shopped online on best buy during black friday weekend and weekend after. as you can imagine, people are pretty darn upset. here's why, best buy is telling these people now, their orders are out of stock and only two days before christmas. good luck going shopping for all

that stuff. what best buy has done has apologized and giving affected customers gift cards. this wouldn't hurt best buy's bottom line but could turn some of these customers into ex-customers. they may not come back again. there goes the old loyalty. kyra? >> how about a quick check of the markets before we head out. >> seeing some green arrows. the dow is up 31 points. this is after we got some economic data, some numbers on how much people made and missed expectations and a separate report on durable goods and that was mixed. these mixed reports not weighing on the markets, not just yet. then, again, we're only a minute into the trading day. >> we'll talk, again. thanks, alison. a winning year for charlie sheen. >> every great movement begins with one man and i guess that's me. >> he's not the only celebrity who kept us talking whether it was good or bad this year. we'll recap come of the biggest celebrity headlines, next. [ female announcer ] help i need a holiday party idea.

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nchlthsd and this just in to cnn. the senate now adopting a unanimous consent resolution on the payroll tax bill. the next vote that we're looking for, of course, is from the house which will try to pass its own unanimous consent resolution. that will happen at 8:00 a.m. eastern time. we'll check in on that and back to the senate for final passage and more on this at the top of the hour. we're also waiting for harry reid. he's expected to speak in just

about 12 minutes, i'm being told. we'll bring that to you, as well. all right, let's talk hollywood headlines now, shall we? lindsay, kim, charlie. they all kept us talking this year and it wasn't all good. kareen wynter recapped some of the biggest celebrity headlines of 2011. >> bye, charlie. >> thanks for the gift. >> reporter: no, charlie, thank you for making 2011 a winning year in celebrity news. >> you're awesome. >> reporter: he put on an awesome display of erratic behavior. >> keep that in mind. >> reporter: on the web and in interviews most memorably with abc news. >> winning. can't is the cancer of happen. >> reporter: maggie furlong remembers being stunned. >> he was spewing just this absolute crazy, awesome, just nonsense to anyone who would listen. >> reporter: he insisted he was not addicted to drugs. sheen's verbal spree came in the midst of an epic feud with his

bosses at "two and a half men" a dispute that eventually got him fired. by refusing to bow to his employers or convention, he turned himself into something of a folk hero, at least in his own mind. >> every great movement begins with one man and i guess that's me. >> reporter: his act began to wear thin when he brought it on the road. the tour he called his "violent torpedo of truth" earned as many boos as cheers. in the fall "two and a half men" officially killed off sheen's character. >> charlie lived life to its fullest. >> reporter: rebuilding the show around ashton kutcher. >> it couldn't be that bad. >> it could be. you don't know. >> reporter: ashton kutcher soon found himself in the headlines, but for other reasons. his marriage was on the rocks and, sure enough, in november she revealed it was over. the toll it was taking on her. >> she just seemed so frail, so

upset, so heartbroken. >> reporter: losing streak didn't end with ashton and demi. in august, kim kardashian tied the knot with nba player kris humphries in a fairy tale ceremony seen by millions. but just 72 days later, kardashian announced the marriage was over, leaving some of her fans feeling the whole thing had been a publicity stunt. >> people are really upset. they really do feel duped and you can't really blame them. >> reporter: lindsay lohan spent most of her year walking in and out of court with occasional side trips to the county jail. in january, she was accused of stealing a necklace from a jewelry store. she compounded her problems by failing to keep up with court ordered community service. >> you needed to get off the stick. >> reporter: that earned her a stern rebuke from a judge who ridiculed lohan from the bench. >> i mean, she is supposed to be an actress, from what i hear. >> reporter: by year's end lohan was back on track with her community service and she had even landed work in the pages of

playboy. >> everybody wins! >> reporter: between the charlies, the lindsays, the kims and all the rest t was a banner year for the famous. >> celebrities brought their a game in 2011, can we get a break in 2012? >> reporter: kareen wynter, cnn, hollywood. >> you're going to hear from one of the biggest celebrities in the world, j.lo. she talks with our alina cho. see how a health scare with one of her twins actually inspired her to give back. a little reminder. we are waiting to hear from senate majority leader harry reid. also, waiting for the house to vote. that should be the top of the 10:00 hour on your payroll tax. also, offering healthy alternatives where few exist in america's so-called food deserts. >> instead of being able to go in the store and always getting chips and cookies and things of that nature, we're trying to

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checking stories across country now. this atlanta area woman hopes

that these christmas lights outside her home will actually land her a job. as you can see the lights spell out her one wish for christmas. a job in hr. she received messages on her linkedin page as far away as italy. in minnesota one man says he'll never buy from best buy, again. the retailer kept telling him that a computer he bought on cybermonday was on back order. he was finally notified just days before christmas it wouldn't be available at all. best buy has apologized to many of its online customers and blames the inconvenience on overwhelming demand. let's get straight to senator harry reid responding now to your payroll tax bill. >> no one in the senate has been more protective of federal employees than senator cardin. when we were doing the negotiations for a long-term deal, one place people were looking is to do some real difficult things to federal

employees. i know ben will be fair, but not punitive. nevada has had unemployment very, very high for a long time, but a state that's been hit really hard by unemployment has also, is also rhode island. and no one in the senate has been more protective of the unemployed than jack reid. he will be my third country. the fourth will be bob casey. bob casey is chairman of the joint economic committee and this is his bill, the payroll tax holiday extension is bob casey's legislation. i have talked to each of them and they're going to work expeditiously to come up with a long-term arrangement on the payroll tax, on unemployment, of course, and on the dock fix. i have great confidence in them. i also want to say that most

everything we do around here is based on trust. that's how we get things done. and i want everyone to understand how much i appreciate mitch mcconnell sticking by the arrangement, the agreement that we made. i have told him that personally and i say that to all of you. when we come back next month, we have a lot of important things to do. i've already talked about the payroll tax package. we have to do that. we can pay for it in many different ways. we have to be somewhat inventive during the past few days i had many calls from my caucus members about ideas they have that would protect the people that need the extra few bucks each month but also save money in the long run. unemployment. we have to figure out a way to extend that. this is the first time that we paid for unemployment tax extension, which i did not favor. but a significant number of my

own caucus did. it's something we had to do. we'll continue to fight for the long-term unemployed. i would hope that we can do something to do something final to get rid of this sgr. this dock fix so that doctors who take care of the senior citizens don't have to worry every few months as to whether they're not going to get paid the following month. so, those are some of the things we certainly have to do. couple other things that are paramont in my mind. a reauthorization. we have to get this done. we have a short-term extension. this involved the employment of couple hundred thousand new people. couple hundred thousand. we made many offers to the house and we have to get this done and forget about all the extraneous stuff and deal with faa. the same applies to the very good bill that was reported out

of the environmental public works committee. very conservative. barbara boxer have come up with an arrangement to extend this for two years. a very, very good bill. i would hope that my colleagues don't play any games with this bill. it is important. it will, the short-term extension saved the jobs of more than a million people doing our highway construction. the two-year bill will create new jobs and not just save the jobs. those are a few things we have to do. i hope this congress has had a very good learning experience. especially those who are newer to this body. everything we do around here does not have to wind up in a fight. that is not the way things need to be. people wonder why the approval rating as congress.

i don't wonder. seems like everything we've done this last year has been a knock down, drag out fight. there is no reason to do that. if there were a message received from this last thing we've been through, i would hope, especially, i repeat that new members of the house would understand that legislation is the art of compromise. consensus building. not trying to push your way through on issues that you don't have the support of the american people. i repeat what i said earlier. this institution relies on the trust and good will to get work done. the american people need this institution to work effectively. we have enormous challenges facing our great country. i indicated earlier that it is certainly true. we have a new year coming very, very quickly. working families that we've helped for a couple of months. that's not enough. they sent us to washington to

find ways to make their life a little easier and give them the tools they need to try to get ahead. they didn't send us here to wage partisan battles or settle ideological scores. so, i say to my colleagues, it is new year's. let's put those games aside and make it a and make it our top priority. our top priority is not for political advantage, but to get things done. if we are able to get things done, there is lots of credit to go around to everybody. but conversely, if we don't get things done, there is criticism that spills off on everyone. let's show the american people that despite our differences we can tackle the big challenges that stand before us. the stakes are too high for us to do anything else. we have to take questions. yes. >> senator, in looking forward to 2012. 21 democratic senate seats up

for election. how is this tax cut extension related to those seats up for election? >> that has been done by all of you in the last week or ten days. >> republicans on taxes, how does this set you up for the of it being a battle in february when you talk about extending this payroll tax for a full year and how does it set you up over the tough negotiations over the bush tax cuts in november of next year? >> the first thing we'll do rather than worry about the bush tax cuts being extended, which i'm not worried about that at this stage. i have gone over the things on my mind, but senator mcconnell and i have talked. we get our appropriation bills done at a reasonable time rather than not worry about this, which was very difficult this time. as i've indicated, tried to this morning, i would hope this experience that everyone has had is an experience that will make

us better legislatures. >> save money in the long run and protect those who need the cash right now. you're listening to senate majority leader harry reid there. the top of the 10:00 hour eastern time the house pected to pass its tax extension. quick break.. back then, he had something more important to do. he wasn't focused on his future but fortunately, somebody else was. at usaa we provide retirement solutions for our military, veterans and their families. from investments... to life insurance... to health care options. learn more with our free usaa retirement guide. call 877-242-usaa.

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one chamber down one to go after this bruising battle. the house is set to take it up at the top of the next hour. we'll bring that to you. >> reporter: i'm holly firfer in atlanta, the nation's busiest airport. we'll let you know how things are going. >> i'm alison kosik at the new york stock exchange. admit it, do you shop on line while at work. guess how much time people are spending shopping while working? i'll have details coming up. all right, guys. thanks. also next hour their engagement video went viral. now the happy couple is married and they join me in studio for an update. but only for a limited time. see your lexus dealer.

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all right. want to let you know we are waiting for that house vote on the payroll tax cut deal. it's expected at the top of the hour, minutes away. we will take that live. well, sometimes what people need in the way of help is not so extraordinary. they just need an opportunity. that's what d.c. central kitchen is all about, helping people who are having a hard time convert

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and they go out to breakfast meals on the street. all the city shelters. >> already. we in business. >> and with that meal goes the message that back at home in our kitchen there's a 14-week program that will get men and women back on their feet with a culinary job training program. they leave with jobs. >> i begin the day. i come in and i get my route sheet. i got two, four, six. >> healthy corners is an interesting program. i think since the last five years there has been a big focus on healthier meals for us. >> i'm making a significant difference in the community by providing these items. >> there's been an interest in getting this healthy product into the corner stores that are in the food deserts all around d.c. food desert is an area where they do not have access to good, local product. >> instead of going in the store always getting chips and cookies and things of that nature, we're

trying to provide them with alternative ways of eating. >> bo's been a friend of mine for a long time. i remember him coming through as a student. he worked in catering, production line. we thought he was the perfect candidate to really take on healthy corners because he knows the community. >> this is what it's all about, fresh product. >> when you're around someone long enough who's changing their life and you see that change and they're becoming a better person, it makes you want to do person, it makes you want to do the same in your life. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >> be sure to watch cnn's giving in focus special on christmas day. reaching the top of the hour. at any moment american workers may breathe a bit easier. just minutes after senator approved a two-month extension of the payroll tax cut, members of the house are about to do the same. the compromise took shape only yesterday. >> senator reid and i have reached an agreement on payroll tax relief on behalf of the

american people. key parts of this agreement are that on january 1st no american worker will see an increase in their taxes. kate bolduan's on the hill. dan lothian at the white house. kate, start with you. we're talking about days of paralysis. it's been busy on capitol hill. let's bring our viewers up to date. >> reporter: absolutely. what's happened this morning after this bruising battle that we've been following that's been marked with much stalemate and much digging in, not a lot of talking or movement, this morning there's been a lot of action, actually. after the leaders were able to strike a deal yesterday afternoon into the evening, this morning there's action on the legislative side. the senate this morning taking up a vote just about 1/2 hour ago. it's a procedural way to pass legislation without having to call all of the members back in, that is if everyone agrees. that also means if no one's on the floor to object. it passed easily. it was agreed to easily in the senate about 1 r 1/2 hour ago.

we're watching the doors on the house floor now. watching for the same to happen in the house. it could take all of one to two minutes, kyra, that is how long it took in the senate this morning. what we're going to be watching for is it could almost sound like nothing. if you blink, you might miss it. we'll be keeping our ears and eyes out there for, my colleague is with paul core sign over there in the house chamber keeping their eyes out to see if there is any member that could take to the house floor to object. it takes one member to object. if they do, it stalls the process. it doesn't mean the deal is dead as house speaker boehner warned last night. if someone stood up to object today, he would almost absolutely bring it up for a full house vote next week. i spoke to a top house republican leadership aid this morning who said leaders do expect that this is basically a done deal, that it will pass which means it will be headed to the president's desk by lunchtime. >> we've got all ears on that

moment. kate, thanks so much. there you go. stay with us. i know you're monitoring it for us. let's go over to the white house while we're waiting. dan lothian, definitely a win for the white house. >> reporter: this is a win for the white house. you have not seen the president come out and stand in front of the camera to declare victory although he did send a tweet late last night saying, quote, thanks to all who shared $40 stories. today's victory is yours. keep making your voices heard. it makes all the difference. this victory does allow the press to do two things. first of all, going forward when he is pushing his agenda here at the white house or pushing for job creation. the president can say to the american people, i stood up for you. i held on. i held my ground so that 160 million americans would not see their taxes go up. but the president also on the campaign out there next year will be able to point the finger back at republicans and say,

look, they are the ones who are responsible forsetting up a lot of these hurdles, forsetting up this partisan gridlock. i stood my ground and was able to get something done, deliver something for you. certainly a big victory here for the president. you won't hear that from the white house. what they are saying is that this is a victory for the american people. >> okay. dan, hold on for just a second here. as you can see, live pictures now from the floor. the prayer happening at this moment. kate bolduan, any second now we're expecting the house to approve. >> reporter: any second now. the latest guidance that we have from my colleagues is that at the moment we do -- they're telling me that there are members walking about. >> let's listen in. >> will be led today by the gentlemen lady from missouri. >> will all those in the gallery please join in. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god,

indid i have visible with liberty and justice for all. >> this is the gentlemen lady from missouri. >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that the committees of referral be discharged from further consideration of hr 3765 and ask for its immediate consideration in the house. >> the clerk will report the title. >> hr 3765. a bill to extend the payroll tax holiday, unemployment compensation, medicare physician payment, provide for the consideration of the keystone xl pipeline and for other purposes. >> is there objection to the bill? >> mr. speaker. >> gentleman from maryland. >> reserving the right to object and i will not object. >> gentleman is recognized frmgts i think the gentleman. i know that the american people are pleased that we have come together to agree on this extension to give certainty and

peace of mind to the 160 million americans who are concerned about losing their tax cut, the 48 million seniors who are concerned about their medicare, and the 2.3 million people who are unemployed and seeking work who were fearful of losing their benefits. i thank the speaker and i thank the gentleman lady from missouri and i withdraw my objection. >> without objection, the bill is engrossed, for a third time and passed. the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. >> chairman before the house of communication. >> the honorable, the speaker, house of representatives, sir, pursuant to section 1238 b 3 of the floyd d. spens national defense authorization act of fiscal year 2001, 22 usc 7002, amended by the division p of the

consolidated appropriations resolution 2003, 22 usc 6901 you i am pleased to reappoint the following individuals to the united states china economic and security review commission. ms. carolyn bartholomew of washington, d.c. mr. jeffrey -- >> kate bolduan, are you still on the hill with us? >> reporter: i'm right here. >> now people see what we deal with every day listening to all of this fun stuff. >> reporter: exactly. the headline here as i was looking at my blackberry clock. it took five minutes. while you may have missed it because it doesn't sound what you think it is. the unanimous consent, that's that procedural move to pass this bill through and that did occur. you had a republican, joe ann emerson, republican from missouri bringing forth this unanimous consent agreement. for a moment there was a bit of a heart stopper, i'll tell you, when i saw the number two democrat in the house, steny hoyer stand up. i was more obviously willing to

take to the floor to express his sentiment that he's glad it's passing. house speakeron bein ner presiding in the chair. that doesn't happen on a daily basis. it happens often on important votes. maybe he wanted to be in there to keep an eye on the house floor to make sure things were going as he wants them to at this point, kyra. with that both chambers as far as i know have passed this payroll tax cut and it will be moving onto the white house. >> for full disclosure, we had the same reaction. as soon as we saw steny hoyer step up, we were like, wait a minute. >> that would be a twist. >> yes, it would. all right. very good. so, kate, you're going to keep eyes on this for us. >> absolutely. >> it appears right now the house has passed the tax cut extension. that means it will go back to the senate for final passage. dan lothian, quickly from the white house there. win for the white house, yes? >> reporter: it is a win for the white house. you know, the president, he stayed behind. his family went to hawaii earlier. the big question was whether or

not the president would be going on vacation. he wanted to make sure that all of these matters had been taken care of, that he wasn't leaving american voters with this cloud of uncertainty. so now that this business has been taken care of, we're waiting to find out what the president's travel plans will be. the schedule remains very fluid. in fact, no times on the typical overnight schedule that's sent out about the president's various meetings. they're not time stamped today for the first time. so it could happen at any moment now. we do expect that he will be going, but so far nothing official yet. >> dan, it's now heading straight for the president. it's made it past the senate, the house. now it goes right to the president's desk? >> reporter: that's right. it would go to the president but, again, we don't have -- in fact, i sent an e-mail here to one white house official to find out about whether or not the president intends to sign something before he leaves and when he will be leaving. so far i haven't gotten an answer to that, but certainly the expectation is that the president would sign it before

leaving. >> got it. all right. politics never easy to understand, right? someone always throws us for a loop. >> >> reporter: absolutely. >> thanks. here's a measure of just how divided some republican sentments remain on the payroll tax cut. one presidential candidate seeking the gop nomination calls the two-month extension a temporary gimmick. here's what michele bachmann had to say on cnn last night. >> well, the real problem is that this is one more temporary gimmick. it's not a permanent solution. that's been the problem from the beginning. president obama is unwilling to lead to get the country back on the track of job creation. this isn't going to create jobs. >> and this morning a new glimpse into what american voters are thinking as the nation inches towards the 2012 elections. our latest cnn orc poll, we asked americans what the most important issue is facing the country. 57% chose the economy. the national deficit and health care came in a distant second and third. the poll then asked people to

focus specifically on the economy. more than half chose unemployment as the biggest problem. 27% said the deficit. vice president joe biden launching an attack on mitt romney and the gop candidate, of course, hitting back. political editor paul steinhauser has the blow by blow. >> it's like a prize fight here, kyra. the democratic national committee, obama re-election campaign, they've been going after mitt romney for a while. nothing new there. vice president joe biden jumped into the ring. in an op ed in the des moines register, we're 11 days away from the iowa caucuses, the vice president basically says romney's economic philosophy's proposals are the same old stuff we saw from bush and the same old stuff we got into a mess the first time. here's specifically what he said. romney appears satisfied to settle for an economy in which fewer people succeed while the

majority of americans are going to tread water or fall behind. they would double down on policies that had caused the greatest calamity that caused the great depression. that was earlier this morning. kyra, do you think mitt romney would let that stand without a rebuttal? not at all. he was up in new hampshire this morning campaigning. our political producer was covering the event. here's what she tells us he said. you wonder in some respects what fantasy land he lives in. he goes on to say, this president and his policies have made it harder on the american people and the middle class and i don't think they get it. just a little taste. we're still in the primaries. we still don't have a republican nominee yet. regardless of who it is, this is a little taste of the back and forth you'll hear all throughout 2012. >> paul, thanks so much. we'll have more politics coming up in just about 20 minutes. could new jersey governor chris christie land on the political ticket?

two suicide car bombs exploded in the syrian capitol of da mass cass. they targeted the offices of two security branchs. the syrian government says this looks like the work of al qaeda. mohammed live in cairo. >> reporter: kyra, the syrian regime blaming these attacks on al qaeda. they come one day after the arrival of an advance team of arab league members. they're there to try to set the parameters for a number of observers in the arab league that would come into syria next week to try to help implement some sort of peace there, to make sure the military is withdrawn from the towns and villages, and that the crackdown ceases in syria. now while the regime is blaming this attack on al qaeda, opposition figures and members of the free syrian army in syria telling us they don't believe him. they say al qaeda does not exist in syria. they suggest that it's awfully

convenient the timing of this, that it really fits a narrative that he's trying to give to the world that he is battling terrorism in his country when, in fact, he is just implementing a brutal crackdown against his peaceful -- against the peaceful protesters in that country that are demanding he step aside. kyra? >> so are there still protests going on right now? >> reporter: according to the opposition figures we speak with, there are many demonstrations going on across syria today. many villages, many cities. in fact, i want to point your attention to some video. we found amateur video. we can't authenticate this video. it purports to show the town idlib where there are activists that are upset about the arab league having come into syria. they don't trust them. they don't think that these team members will be able to cease the violence there and they have huge banners even in english. this is a direct message to the international community. one reads civilized world, the syrian regime's massacres put

your credibility about human rights at stake. this is a key message that members of the opposition in syria have been trying to get out. they want international intervention. they want help. they don't think that the arab league is going to be effective. they think it's just going to help him delay and continue his brutal crackdown that has killed, according to the u.n., at least 5,000 people these past ten months. >> thank you. it's a collision course of extreme weather and holiday travel plans. we'll have a live update from atlanta. one of the nation's busiest air poorts. in a few minutes the russian space craft hooks up with the iss. we'll have it live. >> what if there was a mom sitting there, there was something wrong with my baby. no mother, child should ever have to go through that. pop star j. lo opens up about how a health scare involving one of her twins inspired her to give back.

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democrat steny hoyer now holding a live q and a with reporters with regard to the passing of the two-month extension of the payroll tax cut. let's listen in. >> everybody said they wanted. we're looking forward to making sure that the unemployed are not put at risk by falling off the rolls. and we are very happy that 48 million seniors will have the confidence that their medicare will continue to compensate their doctors so they'll be available for them. this is a good day for the american people.

the american people's voice was heard. their concerns were heard and we have responded. i also want to congratulate president obama who showed great leadership in this effort and articulated to the american people what was at issue here in the congress of the united states. i am pleased that we have come together to make this agreement. this is a good christmas present and good kwaun za present, good hanukkah present for america. we will go forward from this point on understanding that our work is not yet done and we intend to do it in a constructive, bipartisan fashion. i will now yield to mr. basara who's the vice chairman of our caucus for comments. >> thank you, mr. whip. i know i speak --

>> now you're seeing the live reaction there from democrats. you just heard from steny hoyer a moment ago hitting all of the holidays, kwanza, hanukkah, christmas a great present for all. we'll continue to follow all of the reaction, of course, on the hill as we follow up on that breaking news that happened just about seven minutes ago. quick break. more from the "cnn newsroom" straight ahead. act my age?

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well, it's tough going in parts of colorado this morning. temperatures in the single digits along with the 8 to 14 inches of snow that fell. it's got plenty of motorists stuck or left with the slippery

feeling. much of alabama and georgia having tornadoes. downed trees meant power outages for thousands of people. plenty of holiday travel plans are in jeopardy on this day before christmas as well. because of all of this, coverage with meterologist reynolds wolf. holly is at the airport. holly, let's start with you. >> reporter: well, kyra, you know, things are pretty normal today. what a difference a day makes, but this morning we've seen crowds come and go. it hasn't been really bad. here at the nation's busiest airport they get about 243,000 passengers a day, so really they're saying today is kind of business as usual except the crowds seem to be more families, people carrying packages, and a lot of smiles. i would imagine there's not so many smiles when people are going on business trips. people know they're going on a holiday vacation. it wasn't the case yesterday. they shut down the airport for almost three hours yesterday

because of bad weather. 5200 flights were affected. they were grounded. you couldn't get n you couldn't get out. a lot of people missed their connections and ended up spending the night at the airport. we talked to one guy who slept here. he said this morning he wasn't taking any chances. >> reporter: so did you have to spend the night here? what happened? >> yes. actually, my wife is driving over from tulsa to pick me up because the first two flights out this morning were both full, they said. >> reporter: wow. she's doing a ten-hour round trip to come get you? >> yes. >> reporter: and you can imagine, he should be maybe almost halfway there, but at least he'll be there for the holidays. the security lines are moving. they're no longer than usual. airport officials say if you're going to come, come at least 90 minutes early. one tip. it is the holidays. people traveling with present and packages for families. keep them unwrapped because it will enclosing up the security line. they're probably going to have

to unwrap them unless you like unwrapping presents and rewrapping them. they say, leave those open. kyra? >> yeah. no, i think -- i don't think that would be fun for anybody. holly thank you so much. reynolds, apparently delays are already happening. yes? >> oh, yeah. we're going to see a lot more. it seems like the worst place in terms of delays, the bull's eye is going to be new york. you could have delays up to an hour. we're not speaking about one airport around the big apple. all of them. you could have backups not necessarily due to the rain which could be gone but the wind is going to pile in. right behind the delays will stack up. boston, same situation. mostly the rain the issue. philadelphia, wind like in new york. d.c. metros, all of them. back in minneapolis you have the snow that's going to pile up. let's fast forward, if we can, into christmas day. we do anticipate a chance of rain for much of the southeast into the northeast and for the central and eastern great lakes.

expect scattered showers. rain for the pacific northwest. sunny and warm. one exception will be parts of new mexico where we expect the snow to continue. speaking of the snow, get this, up to three feet of snow in the parts of the boulder area just yesterday alone. we're talking, again, not three inches but three feet of snow. great for skiers. awful for people to drive through. >> no doubt. thanks. ruled out running for president, but new jersey governor chris christie thinks that the number two spot just might do. so could it be what mitt romney needs to get elected? okay, team! after age 40, we can start losing muscle --

8% every 10 years. wow. wow. but you can help fight muscle loss with exercise and ensure muscle health. i've got revigor. what's revigor? it's the amino acid metabolite, hmb to help rebuild muscle and strength naturally lost over time. [ female announcer ] ensure muscle health has revigor and protein to help protect, preserve, and promote muscle health. keeps you from getting soft. [ major nutrition ] ensure. nutrition in charge!

checking top stories now. that was the precise moment when three powerful earthquakes struck new zealand. the video from the newsroom. they were near the same area still recovering from that quake in february. two injuries are reported. the airport in christchurch is now closed. syrian state tv says that two suicide car bombs have exploded in the capitol. 38 people are reported dead. cnn can't confirm that number. according to the state run media the casualties include civilians and military personnel. republican controlled house of representatives just approved a two-month extension of the payroll tax cut. that sends the measure right to president obama and ends a heated standoff over that issue. j all right. it's time for political buzz. your rapid fire look at the best political topics of the day. three questions, 30 seconds on the clock.

playing today cnn contributor maria cardona. award winning comedian dean obadela. chris metzler. the house just approved this two-month extension of the payroll tax cut. so did speaker boehner cave to president obama and who comes out winning? maria? >> yeah, he certainly did, kyra. what we have seen is that this, that john boehner as the speaker is probably one of the worst speakers in history because he doesn't know how to control his caucus. he could have avoided this by cracking the whip the way he did at the very end and ensuring that the republicans put the needs of the working class and middle class families first before their ideology. we certainly saw that president obama has done that thus far. the real people who come out winning here though are the 160 million americans who are not going to see their taxes go up thanks to the fight that president obama and the democrats have taken to the mat for them. >> chris? >> well, yeah. he did cave. look, i think he's right on the

policy. the problem here is that he was wrong on the politics. in an election year just before the holiday season, probably not a good time to do this. i think in terms of the american people though, i think actually the american people are the ones who are going to lose. this is but a two-month extension, and once again it proves that washington is run by a bunch of drama queens. so there you have it. >> okay. take note on that vocabulary. dean, help us out. >> i think that actually i agree that i think president obama actually comes out the winner on some level. congress couldn't look any worse, not just john boehner, the entire congress. at this point they're at a 9% approval rating. to put it in perspective, her piece is more popular. anything they can do is going to make president obama look better. he came out for the middle class. the republicans in the house seem to be worried about the

wealthy. we'll see how long that lasts in the american psyche. >> new jersey governor chris christie leaving open the possibility of serving as vice president. here's what he told fox news in an interview last night, quote, the fact is if governor romney comes to me and wants to talk to me about that, we'll have a full conversation about it and then my wife and i will have the conversation about what we want to do with our future. he has endorsed mitt romney. would that seal the deal for romney? chris? >> yeah, actually, i think it will. i have said consistently that what mitt romney wants for christmas is, oh, i don't know, some swag. so as a result of that what you will have is chris christie with street cred and swag and you have mitt romney. so i think that probably for purposes of romney will actually, barring a swag transplant, i actually think that this will do. swag by proxy, yeah, i think

that'll help. >> maria? >> if chris christie can give mitt romney some sort of a core, some sort of principle, then maybe he can come out on top. the fact of the matter is that as a ticket, the people who will be losers if they become the winning ticket are the american people because regardless of who the vice president is, the nominee, it's going to be the top of the ticket that's going to be the one that is putting forth the policies and as far as mitt romney's concerned, he, again, will put millionaires and billionaires first before the middle class. he himself is a millionaire 200 times over. has no clue what middle class families go through. ultimately, the middle class will end up losing if they win. >> dean? >> i don't think this solves mitt romney's problems. i think he has two problems, one within the republican party. the evangelical base. he needs mike huk ka beor tim tebow. his problem is the flip-flopping

on major issues. his slogan should be me, too, i think in the general election. i don't think chris christie solves that problem. >> all right. time for your buzzer beater. 20 seconds each on this one. matt damon, not so excited about president obama and how he's done after supporting him, by the way, in the last election. here's what he told elle magazine. here's the quote. you know, a one-term president with some -- who actually got stuff done would have been much better. what did we decide to say, maria, flavos? >> that's it exactly. >> i had to watch myself on that one. i think hookspa might have worked. do voters care what celebrities have to say? particularly matt damon. maria? >> i don't think so. you see a lot of celebrities getting up on their soap box. matt damon might have more credibility than others because he is an activist. i'll have to say to him, i think

this president has shown a lot of that word because of what he has done in foreign policy and terrorism. osama bin laden, the decision to go after him was not an easy one and he took it. i think that that shows that he has what it takes to keep america safe. >> chris? >> well, actually, i think except for my six and seven-year-old nieces, nobody cares about celebrities anymore. who cares what they have to say. what do they do, play presidents on tv, blah, blah, blah, blah. i don't think it matters. i don't think that anybody celebrity has any credibility on these issues. guys, stick to being celebrities. if you want to do drama, as i said before, go to the house. you can be a drama queen. >> i have a feeling dean will have fun with this. >> i must be a six or seven-year-old niece because i love celebrities. i listen to everything they say. i'm waiting for the kardashians to come out and support someone. whoever the dancing with the

star person is, that person knows how to win. if all else fails, charlie sheen. i'm going to be with a winner like charlie sheen. whoever he comes out for, i'm with them. that's it. >> thanks, guys. have a great, great holiday. we're going to have more on governor kristie and the possibility of that ticket coming up later with cnn's joe johns with our political particularer. straight ahead -- >> a story so true it couldn't have been written. >> i know how much she means to me. i know how much you love her. i know she was your heart. >> sounds like the beginning of a mushy, romantic comedy, right? really, it was the beginning of their new life together. we're going to talk to the now married couple at the center of this now viral video. ♪ girl started blowing up their credit score ♪ ♪ she bought a pizza party for the whole dorm floor ♪

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well, he raised the bar for any guy planning a big proposal. >> i didn't even know what real love is, but she is showing me, teaching me every day. it might be old-fashioned. it might not even be necessary, but it's important to me and i know it's important to your daughter that i do this as well. i'd like to have your blessing, sir. may i have your daughter's hand in marriage? >> you have my permission for her hand in marriage. i would love to have you as a son-in-law.

>> coming this winter from universal studios, making the movies jealous. >> what are you waiting for? >> matt still produces incredible mok movie trailer. he sprung it on his unsuspecting girlfriend jenny. as she watched it in the movie theater in shock, he sprinted into the theater and he popped the question. i think you know what happened. they got married last month. the newlyweds join us for a follow up in studio. look at you, all mushy, kissing each other. the christmas sweaters. i think i'm going to puke. >> that was our intention. >> exactly, right? you want to go over the top. >> always. >> zblauls all right. so, matt, you have now intimidated every single man that wants to propose. i just want to know how you're going to top it. how are you going to do

anniversaries, birthdays, christmas this weekend? >> i know. christmas is going to be fun. i don't know what exactly i'm doing, but she'll be surprised. >> all right. we have to have another follow up then. >> that's right. we can do it. >> all right. even the wedding was unique, right? you got involved on many personal levels. you designed your own shoes. tell me what was unique about the wedding that followed the unique proposal. >> well, everything was done. everything had a sentimental value just about. my aunt and mother were fantastic. they actually made my bouquet out of old jewelry from my grandmothers and great grandmothers. my shoes were hand made. i did those with a friend of mine. >> are these the shoes. >> no. >> apparently we're looking at the wedding video now which was also very nicely produced. keep going. tell me more. >> yes. the dress was custom made by annette katour i can't ever

pronounce it. >> she has a cute little southern twang. there you go. >> yeah. she custom did the dress for me. she put a little m and g with the date of our wedding in it with the rhinestones. there were touches that were sentimental. the whole thing was just very special. it was a dream come true. it was a perfect wedding. >> all right. so, matt, you guys have now started this business to help other people with epic proposals? >> yeah. we haven't started the business yet, but it's something that i've got so many requests for people to ask me to help them. >> brother, help me out. i need a creative idea. >> yeah. so we really enjoy getting all those e-mails and so, yeah, that's what we want to do. we want to try to start helping people do proposals, announce a baby. just all kinds of fun, creative things. just be real positive and bring happiness to people. >> all right. so here's my next question since you're such a pro at this.

how are you going to keep the spark going, keep the love going? the whole thing here, okay? how are you going to not get the seven yearish? do you want to start? >> i don't think it'll be hard. i just don't think we'll ever have -- i'm sure everybody goes through ups and downs and whatnot, but if anybody can do it, me and him have got it. >> definitely. she keeps me on my toes. she's just as stubborn and feisty as i am. >> i understand she was on time to the wedding. she's never on time. >> she was on time to the wedding. >> i was. >> she might have some time management issues, she was on time. i didn't have to lie and tell her a wrong time. >> i think the next business should be a marriage counseling business. what do you guys say? >> we could do that. >> after some time maybe. right now we're rookies. >> oh, yeah. congratulations. >> thank you. >> when it's time to announce the birth, let us know. we'll be waiting for something very unique and special. >> we'll do it.

>> have a great christmas. russia's soyuz space graft is actually knocking on the door of the international space station right now. we're bringing you these live pictures. it arrived just a few minutes ago. we'll talk more about it right after the break. gas and bloating. with three strains of good bacteria to help balance your colon. you had me at "probiotic." [ female announcer ] phillips' colon health. 8% every 10 years.age 40, we can start losing muscle -- you had me at "probiotic." wow. wow. but you can help fight muscle loss with exercise and ensure muscle health. i've got revigor. what's revigor? it's the amino acid metabolite, hmb to help rebuild muscle and strength naturally lost over time. [ female announcer ] ensure muscle health has revigor and protein to help protect, preserve, and promote muscle health. keeps you from getting soft. [ major nutrition ] ensure. nutrition in charge!

you thought you had a long way to travel for christmas. we just lost our live pictures. this is tape but we'll try to

get it back up. let me know if we get it. okay. we've got it back. there we go. from controls. there we go. russia's soyuz spacecraft has docked with the iss, international space station. there will be a hatch opening. holiday welcoming ceremony about 1:00 p.m. eastern time. we'll take that live for you as well. as you know, the soyu zr is bringing three new crew members. they're going to join the american and two russians there. six of them will work on the station until march, we're told. there you go. there's a shot of them all. russia is the only station transporting crew as you know, the iss. nasa retired the space shuttle program in july. a lot of exciting things happening. we got to talk to one of our buddies, one of the younger astronauts out of moscow last week saying that they actually think they're close to discovering a vaccine for salmonella. that's what's happening up in space right now.

we'll watch the live pictures. let's check other stories making news today. 12:30 eastern. republican presidential candidate newt gingrich holding a town hall meeting and christmas lunch in columbia, south carolina. 12:30 eastern michele bachmann travels to iowa to host a meet and greet. >> 9:30 pa sichg the los angeles mission will hand out gifts to some of l.a.'s neediest families. that event includes appearances from celebrities, even santa himself. megastar jennifer lopez using her wealth and fame to help mothers and their babies. >> there was a mom just sitting there, there was something wrong with my baby. no mother, child should ever have to go through that. >> how a health scare with one of her twins inspired her to give back. ♪ making your way in the world today ♪

♪ takes everything you've got ♪ wouldn't you like to get away? ♪ ♪ ♪ sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name ♪ ♪ ♪ you want to be where you can see ♪ ♪ our troubles are all the same ♪ ♪ you want to go where everybody knows your name ♪ ♪ easy. name some things that aren't on your list. jumper cables, camo anything, a power drill -- ooh! [ male announcer ] the only place to go for every guy on your christmas list with great deals throughout the store. walmart.

♪ t.j., you want to add to that? you want to -- t.j. who willments in the house by the way. he'll give us j. lo moves. tomorrow cnn will bring you our special. one of the celebrities we're bringing is j. lo. i wish you could see t.j.

alina, oh, my gosh. you know t.j. holmes. >> oh, i do. yes, i do. i can only imagine, kyra. you have twins. you have a boy and a girl. you know jennifer lopez also has twins, a boy and a girl. the thing about jennifer lopez, jenny from the block, from fashion designer, "american idol" judge, she does it all. she does say it was a health scare with her twin daughter that inspired her to give back to all the women and children who are less fortunate. just like she's done with her career, she's dreaming big. ♪ 6. >> reporter: she's hollywood's triple threat. she sings, dances, acts. >> you did not just poke me. >> reporter: now she's a judge on "american idol." >> you're going to hollywood! >> reporter: she's jennifer lopez. >> reporter: you're a mother, you're a philanthropist,

actress, singer, dancer, you're a judge on "american idol." >> i'm tired. what i am is i'm tired. >> reporter: how do you do it all? >> i don't know. one day at a time. ♪ one step at a time >> reporter: the theme song of her life and also the mir ra bell foundation, a nonprofit lopez started with her sister, linda, in 2008. it was a health scare with her newborn daughter emme that motivated her to act. >> she had this lump on her head all of a sudden. it was kind of soft and felt like water a little bit. >> reporter: what did you think? >> i didn't know what it was. i showed it to marc. i said, if emme is not okay i'm not going to be okay. we called the doctor in the middle of the night. we had access to the best health care. we had all this privilege, and i realized that when i went home. i was lying there at 4:00 in the morning.

i was like, what if i didn't have that? what if i was a mom just sitting there and there was something wrong with my baby? no mother or child should ever have to go through that. luckily for us it turned out okay. >> reporter: so lopez went to the world renound children's hospital in los angeles and asked them, how can i help? >> they were like, there's a very new program called the telemedicine program. >> reporter: when they said telemedicine, did you know what it was? >> not really, no, i didn't. it's a technology, basically, where doctors from anywhere in the world can talk to each other. >> reporter: through video conferencing. the first telemedicine center sponsored by the foundation opened this year in puerto rico. panama is next. >> are you cute? that's the great part of being in the position i'm in, that we can actually make a difference and really, really help people.

the same dreamer in me that wanted to sing and dance and do all of that is the same dreamer in me that wants to do something amazing for the world. >> you know you hear telemedicine and you might think, oh, what a great idea. why isn't this practice more widespread? well, kyra, the reality is is that it's expensive, as you might imagine. just to build that telemedicine center in puerto rico it costs 300,000 to $400,000 to maintain it. what she's doing step by step is raising awareness and money, a lot of it, and she is making a difference. >> that's what counts. thanks so much, alina. don't miss our holiday special, "big stars big giving." it airs christmas eve 2 p.m. eastern. on sunday christmas day 4 p.m. eastern time.

new jersey governor chris christie is backing mitt romney for president but says romney still has work to do to get the gop nomination. >> i think he'll start to connect as people start to vote. they'll look and say who's the person who's going to give us the best chance to beat barak obama. who's the person who is going to help our country grow jobs again and i think he'll then connect. listen, it's on him. i told him that. all of us sat there working for him can only do so much. in the end the american people have to look him in the eye and

believe in him. >> cnn's joe johns joining us from washington. joe, if romney does win the nomination does christy get anything for his support like special invitation? >> yeah. this is a whole bunch of political what ifs. what if mitt romney wins the nomination and what if chris christie gets asked to be the vice president? it would be really interesting for romney because he would certainly be reaching out to try to get most of the republican votes in the corridor between newark and boston which, you know, that's something to be said for the geography there. new jersey chris christie leaving the door open on thursday to serving as the vice presidential candidate on the republican ticket in 2012. christy has actually endorsed mitt romney and he decided against a white house bid of his own after a lot of thought. the number two spot though he predicts he will still be the governor in 2012. we have a graphic of what he said there.

the fact is, if governor romney comes to me and wants to talk to me about that, we'll have a full conversation about that and then mary pat and i, meaning his wife, will make that decision about what we do with our future. he said this on fox news. but he also says his view is if you fast forward the tape to a year from now, it's going to be president elect romney and some other vp elect and chris christie, the governor of new jersey. he's a first-term governor and, kyra, it may be certainly way too early in the nominating process to discuss potential running mates as we said before. >> joe johns, thanks so much. we'll have your next political update in just about an hour. a reminder for all the latest political news go to our website, cnnpolitics.com. how do i say good-bye to t.j. holmes in 45 seconds. that is absolutely impossible. >> is it time? >> this is the moment. >> this is it. say something profound. this is it